June 12, 1998

Ubiquitous thin film focus of engineering research

Dr. Michael Brett

They're on your windows, eyeglasses, food wrappers and door knobs. They're in textiles, microelectronics, drill bits, hard drives and magnetic tapes. They're also on your money -- as anti-counterfeit holograms.

Thin films, an important fundamental technology, are found everywhere. And here at the U of A, research in a unique, inventive class of thin films has just been given a boost. The Faculty of Engineering recently launched a senior industrial research chair in thin film engineering.

Funded by the Alberta Microelectronic Corporation (AMC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the $2.2 million AMC/ NSERC Chair research program will investigate patented, innovative thin film engineering technologies called "GLAD" (glancing angle deposition). These technologies have broad applications in fields such as micro-electro-mechanical systems, optics, magnetics, acoustics, biomedical engineering and catalysis.

Dr. Michael Brett, professor of electrical and computing engineering, and director of engineering physics is the chair-holder. He is internationally recognized in the area of thin film microstructures. Five graduate students, three research associates, the chair-holder and a junior faculty member will form the core research team.

"It's a different approach to fundamental research," says Brett. "It's exciting because it's a new technology, with more control. It opens up another whole dimension of high-tech applications."

The chair research program will create the Canadian infrastructure for the study and development of GLAD thin films with microscopic internal structures that look like beds of micro-springs, staircases or zigzags. While thin films are conventionally constructed as smooth, hard and dense materials, GLAD thin films are unique because of their structure and porous nature.

"AMC's sponsorship of Dr. Brett and the University of Alberta will be an important element in our future," says Chris Lumb, AMC president and CEO. "This research program will lead to development of new technologies, new business opportunities, and most importantly, skilled people who can further develop Canada's technology industries."

"Dr. Brett has an impressive track record and a long association with NSERC. He has held NSERC funding since 1985, starting first with an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, followed by a University Research Fellowship," said Dr. Suzanne Fortier, vice-president of NSERC. "He is an accomplished researcher, who has pioneered the use of glancing angle deposition of thin films."

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